Machine-tool

ABSTRACT

A feed support device for use in conjunction with a machinetool, particularly a lathe, for permitting a workpiece to be selectively supported for either translational or rotational motion. The feed support device includes a pair of cylindrical support rollers rotatably mounted on independent swivel members which are rotatable about axes which converge toward one another. Suitable actuating devices are connected to the swivel members for permitting the swivel members and the cylindrical rollers mounted thereon to be angularly displaced between a first position wherein their axes are substantially parallel to the axis of the workpiece so as to be disposed in rotational contact with the workpiece, and a second position wherein the rotational axes are substantially perpendicular to the axis of the workpiece so as to permit translational movement of the workpiece.

United States Patent 499,626 6/1930 Germany ABSTRACT: A feed support device for use in conjunction with a machine-tool, particularly a lathe, for permitting a workpiece to be selectively supported for either translational or rotational motion. The feed support device includes a pair of cylindrical support rollers rotatably mounted on independent swivel members which are rotatable about axes which converge toward one another. Suitable actuating devices are connected to the swivel members for permitting the swivel members and the cylindrical rollers mounted thereon to be angularly displaced between a first position wherein their axes are substantially parallel to the axis of the workpiece so as to be disposed in rotational contact with the workpiece, and a second position wherein the rotational axes are substantially perpendicular to the axis of the workpiece so as to permit translational movement of the workpiece.

Patented Aug. 24, 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Aug. 24, 1971 3. Sheets-Sheet 5 MACHINE-TOOL This invention relates to a machine-tool of the lathe type comprising a feed support apparatus in which the part to be machined can be supported both for translational motion and rotational motion.

Feed support apparatuses of this type are employed especially for cylindrical or tubular parts of substantial length and are usually equipped with two different sets of rollers. The first set of rollers of the so-called "translational-support" type is intended to support the workpiece during the longitudinal displacement of this latter, this displacement being necessary when the workpiece is either inserted through the spindle of the lathe or withdrawn therefrom. The second set of rollers, referred to as rotational-support" rollers, is intended to support the workpiece during the rotational motion of this latter which is necessary during the machining operation. These two sets of rollers have to be operated successively and in predetermined sequences, which often entails an appreciable loss of time and consequently lowers the efficiency of the machine-tool. Moreover, in the case of a cutting operation in which the workpiece is cut up into a plurality of sections, the section which has just been cut off cannot immediately be removed on completion of the cutting operation, with the result that the tool which has carried out said operation is liable to fail under the action of binding of the workpiece.

The present invention is primarily intended to circumvent the foregoing disadvantages and is accordingly directed to a machine-tool of the above-mentioned type which is essentially characterized in that its feed support apparatus comprises a single set of rollers mounted on aligned supports by means of pivotal yokes and actuating means for causing said yokes and consequently said rollers to pivot progressively through an angle at least equal to 90 about an axis located at right angles to the axis of the supported workpiece.

It can readily be appreciated that, by virtue of this arrangement, the displacement of the rollers from the translationalsupport" position to the rotational-support" position or conversely can be carried out extremely rapidly so that dead times of the machine-tool are consequently minimized.

Moreover, by placing said rollers in an intermediate position between the "translational-support position and the rotational-support" position, it is possible to convert the rotational energy of the part which has just been machined into translational energy and thus to carry out the automatic removal of the machined part within a minimum time interval. By this means and in particular in the case of cutting of the part into a number of sections, the section which has just been cut off can accordingly be removed immediately after completion of the cutting operation, thereby preventing any possibility of failure of the tool which has performed this cutting operation. Furthermore, when the cycle comprises an additional machining operation, a new tool can be brought onto the workpiece with a minimum dead time.

In a particular form of execution of the invention, the actuating means comprise a link-rod system which is capable of moving in longitudinal translational motion and on which are pivotally mounted levers coupled to the yokes which support the rollers.

In this manner, all the rollers can be displaced at the same time by means ofa single control unit.

Preferably, the link-rod system is made up of a number of sections connected by means of articulations which permit of slight misalignment between the different sections in order to permit the withdrawal of some groups of rollers relative to other groups.

A clear understanding of the invention will in any case be obtained from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which a number of forms of construction are shown by way of nonlimitative example, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified general view of a machine-tool in accordance with the invention together with its feed support apparatus in the translational-support position;

FIG. 2 is a similar general view but the feed support apparatus is shown in this case in the rotational-support" position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line IIIIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a simplified general view of another embodiment of the invention showing a machine-tool equipped with a double feed passage.

The machine-tool in accordance with the invention as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 is essentially composed of the machinetool proper 1 of the lathe type together with a feed support apparatus 2 which is designed to support the part to be machined both for translational and rotational motion. In the example herein described, the part to be machined is constituted by a tube 3 of substantial length, said tube having been engaged through the spindle and the chuck 4 of the machine-tool 1.

The feed support apparatus 2 comprises a number of support devices which are aligned with the axis of the machinetool spindle and only five of which have been illustrated, namely as designated by the reference numerals 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, each support device being adapted to carry one pair of cylindrical pivotal rollers 10. As can be seen from FIG. 3, each support device is constituted by a frame 11 on which two inclined roller-support units 13 are capable of sliding by means of slideways 12. Each roller 10 is rotatably mounted on a pin 14 carried in a yoke 15 which is capable of pivoting within the unit 13 by means of its swivel-neck 16. The swivelneck 16 defines a swivel axis which is substantially perpendicular to the rotational axis defined by pin 14 and which is inclined relative to the horizontal. Further, the inclined swivel axes of the pair of independent swivel members 16 as provided on the support 8 converge toward one another and intersect one'another preferable at the longitudinal axis of the tube 3 (see FIG. 3).

The pivotal movement of the roller 10 is obtained by means of a lever 17, one extremity of which is secured to the yoke 15 whilst the other extremity is pivotally and slidably coupled to a longitudinal link-rod system 18. Said link-rod system 18 can be displaced in translational motion by a jack 19 (FIG. 1) which may be secured to the support device 5, for example, and thus provides simultaneous operation of all the rollers of the passage.

Adjustment of the rollers 10 for height is carried out as a function of the diameter of the part to be machined and can be obtained by any suitable means as shown by way of example in FIG. 3, namely by means of a screw 20 which is adapted to cooperate with an internal screw thread formed within the roller-support unit 13. There is fixed on the extremity of the screw 20 a toothed wheel 21 which is adapted to engage with a tangent screw 22, said screw being rigidly fixed to a longitudinal shaft 23. A handwheel 24v which is mounted, for example, on the support 5 makes it possible to rotate the shaft 23 and thus to ensure the simultaneous adjustment for height of all the rollers of the feed passage 2. Should it be so desired, said handwheel 24 could advantageously be replaced by a motor such as an electric motor, for example, in order to permit operation from a distance.

In the example herein described and illustrated, each frame 11 of the supports is mounted on a hydraulic jack 25 having a small travel for the purpose of withdrawing selected pairs of rollers relative to other pairs. In order to permit this withdrawal, the link-rod system 18 and the shaft 23 are made up of elements or sections which are interconnected by means of articulations 26 which permit a slight misalignment between the different elements as is shown in FIG. 2.

The feed support apparatus 2 which has just been described operates as follows:

At the outset, all the rollers 10 of the feed support apparatus 2 are in the translational-support position shown in FIG. 1; in other words, the pin 14 or axis of rotation of each roller is located at right angles to the axis of the spindle of the machine-tool 1. Depending on the diameter of the part to be machined, the positions of all the rollers are then simultaneously adjusted for height by means of the handwheel 24.

The part to be machined which is constituted in this example by the tube 3 is then brought into the feed passage in which said part is supported by the rollers in longitudinal translational motion and then inserted through the spindle of the machine-tool by suitable ancillary means which are not illustrated. When the part is in position, the chuck 4 is clamped against the tube and the jack 19 is actuated so that all the rollers 10 are caused to pivot simultaneously through an angle of 90 about an axis which is materialized by the swivel-neck 16 of each yoke 15. The rollers thus take up the rotational-support" position shown in FIG. 2; in other words, the pin 14 or axis of rotation of each roller is then parallel to the axis of the spindle of the machine-tool, namely parallel to the axis of the tube 3. In this position, the rollers support the tube during the rotational motion of this latter.

However, tubes of substantial length such as the tube 3 are not usually perfectly rectilinear so that it thus proves preferably to retract selected pairs of rollers in order to maintain only a small number of rollers in contact with the workpiece, for example only the pair of rollers which is carried by the support 8 as shown in FIG. 2. With this objective, the jacks 25 of the supports 5, 6, 7 and 9 are accordingly actuated. This selection may be carried out by hand or automatically by means of detectors or any suitable devices.

It will be noted that, at the moment of retraction, the different elements which constitute the link-rod system 19 and the shaft 23 can be put out of alignment with respect to each other by means of the articulation 26.

The machine-tool 1 can then be started up in order to begin machining of the tube 3 which is supported at one end by the chuck 4 and at the other end by the pair of rollers 10 of the support 8.

Inasmuch as the same rollers are employed both in the translational-support" position and in the rotational-support" position in order to carry the part to be machined, it will be apparent that the different operations which have just been set forth can be carried out very rapidly. Dead times are consequently reduced to a minimum and the efficiency of the machine-tool l is enhanced to a very appreciable extent.

In the alternative form of construction which is illustrated in FIG. 5 and which is more especially intended for cutting tubes into lengths, the machine-tool l is equipped with a double feed support apparatus placed on each side of this latter.

As in the previous example, said feed support apparatus 2 is constituted by support devices which are aligned with the axis of the spindle of the machine and each intended to carry one pair of pivotal rollers 10. Only three support devices are shown on the left-hand side of the machine in the figure as designated respectively by the reference numerals 27, 28 and 29 and three support devices on the right-hand side as designated respectively by the numerals 30, 31 and 32. The

tube 3 to be cut into lengths as illustrated in the figure is inserted through the spindle of the machine and comprises a portion 33 which extends beyond the machine on the lefthand side and a portion 34 which extends beyond said machine on the right-hand side.

After having permitted the insertion of the tube 3 in the machine-tool 1 according to the procedure which has been described above, the rollers 10 of the supports 30, 31 and 32 are placed in the rotational-support" position as shown in the figure and accordingly support the tube as this latter rotates. More specifically, the portion 34 of the tube is supported by the pair of rollers of the support 32 whilst the rollers of the supports 30 and 31 have been retracted. So far as concerns the rollers of the supports 27, 28 and 29, these rollers are placed in an intermediate position between the translational-support position and the rotational-support position as shown in the figure for reasons which will become apparent hereinafter. It will be noted that, in the intermediate" position, the axes of rotation of each pair of rollers remain parallel to each other. Moreover, said rollers are retracted in such a manner as to ensure that they are not normally in contact with the portion 33 of the tube 3.

Inasmuch as the tube 3 is supported on the one hand by the chuck 4 and on the other hand by the pair of rollers 10 of the support 32, said tube is driven in rotation by the spindle of the machine in the direction indicated in the figure by the arrow 35 and is cut into lengths by the cutting tool 36. When this cutting-off operation is completed, the length of tube 33 falls onto the rollers of the supports 27, 28 and 29. The rotational energy of said tube length is then automatically converted to translational energy which tends to move said tube length away from the machine-tool 1 by virtue of the fact that the rollers 10 are located in theintermediate position shown in the figure. Thus, the cutoff tube length 33 is immediately removed as soon as the tool 36 has completed the cutting operation. In consequence, another tool 37 of any type which is also carried by the machine 1 can come into action with a minimum dead time in order to carry out another machining operation on the tube 3, such as thread-cutting. Furthermore, the immediate removal of the cutoff tube section 33 prevents any subsequent failure of the tool 36 which has carried out the cutting operation.

Similarly, when the tube length 34 has to be removed from the spindle of the machine, the rollers of the supports 30, 31 and 32 will also be placed in the intermediate position in order that the tube should immediately and automatically be removed as soon as the chuck 4 has opened.

It will in any case be self-evident that the modes of application of the invention which have just been described have been given solely by way of example without intended limitation and that any number of modifications may accordingly be contemplated without thereby departing either from the scope or the spirit of this invention.

What we claim is:

1. In combination with a machine-tool, such as a lathe, a feed support apparatus for permitting an elongated workpiece to be longitudinally fed into and rotatably supported relative to the machine-tool, the improvement wherein said feed apparatus comprises:

a frame;

first and second cylindrical support rollers rotatably supported on said frame and disposed for engagement with said workpiece; first swivel means pivotally supported on said frame and having said first roller rotatably supported thereon, said first swivel means being selectively pivotable about a first swivel axis through an angle of at least relative to said frame for permitting movement of said first cylindrical roller between a first position wherein the rotational axis of said first roller is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece and a second position wherein the rotational axis of said first roller is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece;

second swivel means pivotally supported on said frame and having said second cylindrical roller rotatably supported thereon, said second swivel means being selectively pivotal about a second swivel axis through an angle of at least 90 relative to said frame for permitting movement of said second roller between a first position wherein the rotational axis of said second roller is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece and a second position wherein the rotational axis of the second roller is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece;

the first and second swivel axes being inclined relative to one another and converging in a direction toward the workpiece, whereby the workpiece is supported for rotation when the rollers are in the first position and for longitudinal translation when the rollers are in the second position.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the first and second swivel axes are substantially perpendicular to the rotational axes of the first and second cylindrical rollers,

respectively, and wherein the first and second swivel axes are each inclined relative to both the horizontal and vertical directions and define a substantially inverted V-shape whereby the first and second cylindrical rollers are disposed for engaging the lower half of the workpiece on opposite sides of a vertical plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the workpiece. v

3. The combination according to claim 1, further including first adjustment means coacting between said frame and said first swivel means for permitting said first cylindrical roller to be selectively moved toward or away from the workpiece in a direction substantially parallel to said first swivel axis, and second adjustment means coacting between said frame and said second swivel means for permitting said second cylindrical roller to be selectively moved toward or away from the workpiece in a direction substantially parallel to the second swivel axis.

4. The combination according to claim 3, wherein said frame includes a fixed and a movable frame member, said first adjustment means coacting between said movable frame member and said first swivel means, and said second adjustment means coacting between said movable frame member and said second swivel means, and further including jack means coacting between said fixed and movable frame members for permitting the elevation of said first and second cylindrical rollers to be simultaneously varied.

S. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said frame includes first and second slideways and first and second slide members slidably disposed in engagement with said. first and second slideways, respectively, and first and second screw means coacting between said frame and said first and second slide members, respectively, for permitting said slide members to be selectively moved along the respective slideways, said first and second swivel means being pivotally supported on said first and second slide members, respectively.

6. The combination according to claim 5, wherein said first swivel means includes a first swivel member having a cylindrical portion rotatably supported on said first slide member, said first swivel member further having a yoke portion for rotatably supporting said first cylindrical roller, and said second swivel means including a second swivel member identical to said first swivel member.

7. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said feed support apparatus includes a plurality of substantially identical support devices laterally spaced from one another substantially in the longitudinal direction of said workpiece, each of said support devices having a pair of cylindrical rollers mounted thereon for swiveling movement between said first and second positions for enabling said rollers to support said workpiece for either rotation or translation.

8. The combination according to claim 7, further including link means connected between each of said support devices for permitting all of the rollers on the individual support devices to be simultaneously pivotally moved between said first and second positions. 

1. In combination with a machine-tool, such as a lathe, a feed support apparatus for permitting an elongated workpiece to be longitudinally fed into and rotatably supported relative to the machine-tool, the improvement wherein said feed apparatus comprises: a frame; first and second cylindrical support rollers rotatably supported on said frame and disposed for engagement with said workpiece; first swivel means pivotally supported on said frame and having said first roller rotatably supported thereon, said first swivel means being selectively pivotable about a first swivel axis through an angle of at least 90* relative to said frame for permitting movement of said first cylindrical roller between a first position wherein the rotational axis of said first roller is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece and a second position wherein the rotational axis of said first roller is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece; second swivel means pivotally supported on said frame and having said second cylindrical roller rotatably supported thereon, said second swivel means being selectively pivotal about a second swivel axis through an angle of at least 90* relative to said frame for permitting movement of said second roller between a first position wherein the rotational axis of said second roller is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece and a second position wherein the rotational axis of the second roller is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the workpiece; the first and second swivel axes being inclined relative to one another and converging in a direction toward the workpiece, whereby the workpiece is supported for rotation when the rollers are in the first position and for longitudinal translation when the rollers are in the second position.
 2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the first and second swivel axes are substantially perpendicular to the rotational axes of the first and second cylindrical rollers, respectively, and wherein the first and second swivel axes are each inclined relative to both the horizontal and vertical directions and define a substantially inverted V-shape whereby the first and second cylindrical rollers are disposed for engaging the lower half of the workpiece on opposite sides of a vertical plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the workpiece.
 3. The combination according to claim 1, further including first adjustment means coacting between said frame and said first swivel means for permitting said first cylindrical roller to be selectively moved toward or away from the workpiece in a direction substantially parallel to said first swivel axis, and second adjustment means coacting between said frame and said second swivel means for permitting said second cylindrical roller to be selectively moved toward or away from the workpiece in a direction substantially parallel to the second swivel axis.
 4. The combination according to claim 3, wherein said frame includes a fixed and a movable frame member, said first adjustment means coacting between said movable frame member and said first swivel means, and said second adjustment means coacting between said movable frame member and said second swivel means, and further including jack means coacting between said fixed and movable frame members for permitting the elevation of said first and second cylindrical rollers to be simultaneously varied.
 5. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said frame includes first and second slideways and first and second slide members slidably disposed in engagement with said first and second slideways, respectively, and first and second screw means coacting between said frame and said first and second slide members, respectively, for permitting said slide members to be selectively moved along the respective slideways, said first and second swivel means being pivotally supported on said first and second slide members, respectively.
 6. The combination according to claim 5, wherein said first swivel means includes a first swivel member having a cylindrical portion rotatably supported on said first slide member, said first swivel member further having a yoke portion for rotatably supporting said first cylindrical roller, and said second swivel means including a second swivel member identical to said first swivel member.
 7. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said feed support apparatus includes a plurality of substantially identical support devices laterally spaced from one another substantially in the longitudinal direction of said workpiece, each of said support devices having a pair of cylindrical rollers mounted thereon for swiveling movement between said first and second positions for enabling said rollers to support said workpiece for either rotation or translation.
 8. The combination according to claim 7, further including link means connected between each of said support devices for permitting all of the rollers on the individual support devices to be simultaneously pivotally moved between said first and second positions. 